Live Taxi Daily Journal 6

November 26, 2000

The day after Thanksgiving.

The person writing this excerpt just had three taxi experiences.

One from a train station in New York suburbs, one coming from NY suburbs back to a train station and the last ride from 30th St. station in Philly back to my house.

The first ride was the most animated. I was open for all three trips to just kind of react on the fly to the taxi drivers. If quiet, I quiet, if whatever, I whatever. I had no deep thoughts to attend to or bad moods or even great moods, I was in a perfect state to mimic the driver. The first cabdriver was animated. He was a character too. He had a run down car inside and out. He had scruffy long hair and had sunglasses on and I didn't really notice his clothes. He was a non-stop talker. We started the conversation with the fact that he didn't know the exact location of the address I gave him He stopped the car and looked at two maps. I told him what was around the location and he started out in the right direction and kept going while I said, this looks familiar and this looks familiar. He had no problem. I told him he find us there on instinct. He kind of laughed. He's a white guy, like 45 yrs old. He was cute. He mumbled a lot of stuff and just talked out loud stuff. He wanted to smoke, but I hesitated so long when he asked if it was ok (and the windows don't open in back and there is no shield) so he didn't smoke, he said he'd wait. I told him I used to smoke then I stopped talking about that it's pretty selfish and boring. Anyway what was really fun for me is that I never told him I am very familiar with taxis. I wanted him to think and to know that I dig all professions and that I don't think cabbies are scum. He said he enjoyed my company like I was worth it as a passenger no matter what trouble the address was and all. I laughed with him as he steamed at car drivers who would delay him or not make the lights (that kills the cab driver, emotionally) or drive 'like a nut'. Near the end as we were pulling up to my destination he looked up the flat rate charge of $12 and then he was praising the color of my pants. I was wearing loose fitting kind of red jeans pants. He said, "love those hot pink pants hot pink and black, now that's really cool". (I wasn't wearing black.) Then when he stopped at my destination he said it again. I told him half way through the job that I called in advance to my destination to come out and give me the money to pay him. That'll fluster any driver. Maybe he was flustered. The destination took us right up to the door. My party was very good and came right out. I grabbed the twenty and handed it to the driver. He was thankful. I think he laughed too. (I also left my bag in the car so he wouldn't think I'd run off I was being respectful.)

Next was a driver with a taxi that shows up at the door in 3 minutes after calling. You have to wait outside, they don't knock, they don't beep and they don't have any writing on the outside of the cab ("like a chauffeur", I was told). They don't have shields either. This guy was very proper and uptight. He was white with white hair and glasses. He didn't say hello or anything but he was twitchy and nice and confirmed the address I was going to. I decided to ask if he had a nice Thanksgiving. He said yes and I volunteered that I did too. When we arrived at the $12 flat rate destination, he said it was $15, I had a twenty ready for him anyway. He seemed surprised. He said have a good trip.

From the train station in philly to my homestead was a ride with a sweet guy. No talk. We laughed together at one maneuver another cabdriver made. When we got to my spot he didn't have change of ten for the twenty so told me to keep it. Wow. He apologized and said he came out of the house without any money, he was sorry. I asked how much he had and he counted out 9 ones. I said that's okay and took the 9 for change of my twenty. The meter said $4.58.

Giving thanks.